Did Mayweather Harm or Help the sport of boxing

[Lester Tutor]

T(minus Berto who even I was disappointed with as a Floyd fan)

I still want to see a Berto vs Broner sooo badd!!

[Eastcoast]

Hurt it. He didn't increase fans for the sport. After watching his fights people felt dissatisfied due to the lack of excitement. He had the spotlight which generated all that money but it didn't grow the sport around him, only grew it for him. Because he was careful who he fought and when he fought them, there was little to no chance of passing on the torch like Oscar did for him. Fighting Guerrero, JMM, Maidana, and Berto at that level when he had the options and power to fight better fighters.

[UNBIASED BOXING]

I think the Pacquiao vs Mayweather fight did a lot of damage to the rep of boxing. I know a lot of people were like, "Really? This is boxing?" and were very turned off by it. Sucks that the non-casual fans think that's all there is to it, or can't appreciate it at all. I actually found the fight enjoyable to some degree.

[MrRolltide91]

Well, the things you listed that he did to DAMAGE the sport are things that have been going on since the late 70s so................... don't how I can blame him for something that was going on before he stepped into a pro ring.

The other fighters are realizing that they should be getting paid for their services. They see Ali, Tyson, Holyfield etc. They don't want to end up like that and then sit back and wonder what it was all for.

The sport of Boxing has ALWAYS been damaged (it was terrible behind the scenes in the late 80s early 90s), the only difference is that we as fans have a lot more coverage than before.

A perfect example is the whole catchweight thing. Sugar Ray Leonard did WAY worse than anything I've seen recently, yet nobody here gives a damn because they either don't know or just don't care because it is Sugar Ray Leonard.

Don't forget the promoters taking fights off tv and putting them on premium cable and ppv

[about.thousands]

Hurt it. He didn't increase fans for the sport. After watching his fights people felt dissatisfied due to the lack of excitement. He had the spotlight which generated all that money but it didn't grow the sport around him, only grew it for him. Because he was careful who he fought and when he fought them, there was little to no chance of passing on the torch like Oscar did for him. Fighting Guerrero, JMM, Maidana, and Berto at that level when he had the options and power to fight better fighters.

He's sold more PPV's than any other boxer in history. He made selling 1m PPV the norm when in reality very few have done it. I understand you have your personal opinion of Floyd but the facts are more people watched his PPV's than any other boxer.

[Irony123]

Well, the things you listed that he did to DAMAGE the sport are things that have been going on since the late 70s so................... don't how I can blame him for something that was going on before he stepped into a pro ring.

The other fighters are realizing that they should be getting paid for their services. They see Ali, Tyson, Holyfield etc. They don't want to end up like that and then sit back and wonder what it was all for.

The sport of Boxing has ALWAYS been damaged (it was terrible behind the scenes in the late 80s early 90s), the only difference is that we as fans have a lot more coverage than before.

A perfect example is the whole catchweight thing. Sugar Ray Leonard did WAY worse than anything I've seen recently, yet nobody here gives a damn because they either don't know or just don't care because it is Sugar Ray Leonard.

Like i said in my original post he isn't the only one and risk vs reward has always been the case but he was the most successful guy doing it.

Just as a simple example the Floyd vs. Paquio fight in my mind hurt the sport as well, yes it was the biggest ppv but that doesn't mean that it was good for the sport, it was good for Floyd and Paquio's bank accounts but that fight turned fans away from the sport.

So the question is did Floyd help the sport or hurt the sport, i know he isn't the only one but he is the biggest boxing star in years thus he is the concentration of this conversation, just because others did it doesn't mean ****. Did Pablo Escobar help or hurt society? yes i know he isn't the only drug lord, but he is/was considered one of the biggest ones.

[KLockard23]

He's sold more PPV's than any other boxer in history. He made selling 1m PPV the norm when in reality very few have done it. I understand you have your personal opinion of Floyd but the facts are more people watched his PPV's than any other boxer.

lol Because people hated him that much and PPV has a wider range of availability than it ever has, not to mention viral marketing, etc.

Ali would have outsold him easily if PPV existed in his day.

Floyd did a lot for the sport and is an exceptional boxer who aspiring boxers should definitely study for his defensive abilities, but he also made it possible for lesser fighters to grant a big payday and to intentionally duck people and treat it much more as a business than a sport, which is a shame.

[Irony123]

He's sold more PPV's than any other boxer in history. He made selling 1m PPV the norm when in reality very few have done it. I understand you have your personal opinion of Floyd but the facts are more people watched his PPV's than any other boxer.

but did that help or hurt the sport. As a fan if i buy a boxing event i want it to be good, i want to be entertained, the hardcores would simply be entertained by the simple things but majority of fans or casuals look for entertainment and the biggest fight of his career was not entertaining to most people.

[-PBP-]

Anyways, the risk/reward issue has clearly been deaded. With that said I'm going to say helped the sport because he showed that you can get to the top by:

1. Taking care of your body
2. Fighting at your natural weight
3. Perfecting your craft
4. Being defensively responsible
5. Not letting the media dictate the way you fight
6. Not letting promoters **** you
7. Taking every opponent serious
8. Putting your ego aside and playing the role of the B-side against inferior fighters just to show your skills on the big stage.
9. Adapting your style to the aging and physical deterioration of your body as you progress through your career
10. Doing what you gotta do to get that Almighty W!!


People like to blame Floyd Mayweather for the current landscape of boxing. I blame the fighters for:

1. Not willing to take risks
2. Not developing their skillset to become complete fighters
3. Not staying in shape year around
4. Wanting to play the A-side role without earning it.


Fans talk with their money. And their money told us that they want to see Floyd Mayweather fight not these new wannabe divas who ain't fought nobody.

[Larry the boss]

Hurt it. He didn't increase fans for the sport. After watching his fights people felt dissatisfied due to the lack of excitement. He had the spotlight which generated all that money but it didn't grow the sport around him, only grew it for him. Because he was careful who he fought and when he fought them, there was little to no chance of passing on the torch like Oscar did for him. Fighting Guerrero, JMM, Maidana, and Berto at that level when he had the options and power to fight better fighters.

fighters like whom?